Pass 'Casey's Law' San
Francisco Chronicle Article
IT IS tragic when any young person dies in an
alcohol-related car accident. But the death of
20-year-old Casey Goodwin on a stretch of
Highway 41 in the San Joaquin Valley three weeks
ago seems especially so.
The vivacious Casey, a college sophomore and
water polo player, was one of the leading youth
activists in the state working to combat drunken
driving. She was on the board of Teenwork, which
involved young people in drug and alcohol
prevention activities. Last summer she interned
at "Friday Night Live, " a statewide initiative
to reduce injuries and deaths caused by drunken
teenage motorists. Recently she wrote in her
journal that her No. 1 concern in the world was
drunken driving.

"She was wise beyond her years," says her mother
Lynne, who clearly sparked her daughter's
devotion to the issue. For years, Lynne Goodwin
has been a leader in running alcohol prevention
programs in Tulare County schools.

On March 12, Casey left San Luis Obispo, where
she attended a community college, and began what
should have been a two-hour drive to her tiny
valley hometown of Exeter to celebrate her
mother's birthday.

Heading up Highway 41, she passed the monument
marking the spot where rebel- boy actor James
Dean died in a head-on collision in September
1955. Driving in the other direction was
Fernando Ochoa, an unlicensed 18-year-old racing
to get to his fast-food job in Kettleman City.
He later told police he had consumed seven beers
that afternoon.

About 6:30 p.m., witnesses saw Ochoa's Honda
weave into Casey's lane. A bus in front of her
obscured his deadly trajectory. She was unable
to swerve to avoid Ochoa's car, which was coming
at her at 90 mph.

After the accident, police reportedly determined
that Ochoa's blood alcohol level was .19, more
than double the legal limit. He is being held in
a county jail on $250,000 bail.

Goodwin died the next morning from massive
injuries. Her memorial service had to be held in
the largest church in the county -- in Visalia
-- in order to accommodate the 2,000 people who
showed up to celebrate her life (for more about
Casey, go towww.fridaynightlive.org).

Her story provides compelling justification for
Assembly Bill 216, introduced by Majority Leader
Wilma Chan, D-Oakland. The bill would assess a
fee on beer and distilled spirits manufacturers
equivalent to the amount they generate from
alcohol consumed by underage drinkers.

The $100 million raised through the bill (an
assessment of roughly a penny a drink) would
establish community-based youth alcohol recovery
centers throughout the state. They would provide
an alcohol-free environment where young people
can receive peer counseling, vocational training
or other services they might need.

Chan hopes passage of "Casey's Law" also will
discourage irresponsible marketing practices
that entice teens to drink. "It should be a
disincentive for producers to market and sell
their products to children," says Chan.

Meanwhile, Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles,
has proposed the equivalent of a nickel-a-drink
fee on alcohol wholesalers to reimburse
emergency rooms and trauma centers for the costs
of treating alcohol-related injuries. Our
recommendation would be to combine the two
bills, reconciling their compatible goals, so
they are not competing with each other. The
industry is lobbying hard against both.

Chan's bill faces its first hurdle Tuesday in
the Assembly Health Committee.

Speaker Herb Wesson, who could help assure
passage, has yet to take a position on it.

Casey Goodwin died on a home-front battleground
that claims thousands of lives each year. The
Legislature must take action as a more enduring
tribute to her cause than the simple roadside
cross that now stands on an isolated stretch of
Highway 41. .